Talk to a Consumer Protection Lawyer

Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area

Complaints against auto repair shops, including body shops,
fall near the top of consumer complaint lists every year. Some states estimate that every year people
lose over 20 million dollars to unnecessary car repairs and other auto shop repair
scams. Recently, one state reported that
42% of the vehicles it inspected on behalf of consumers had fraudulent parts or
labor listed on the repair invoice.

When undercover agents caught
well-known national auto repair stores selling unnecessary repairs many people
were surprised to learn that the company had quotas, sales commissions, and
contests that encouraged the sale of additional repairs.

These scams are frequently found by experts, including
attorneys, who bring lawsuits on behalf of their clients:

The highway shop scam where mechanics out on the open road
take advantage of drivers who are far from home or destination

The special offer hook scams that advertise a very
inexpensive repair, such as oil change, and then trick consumers into buying
parts that are not needed

The bad part replacement scams where mechanics either do not
install new parts in the consumer’s car or install used parts from some other
car

Doing work that was unauthorized

Doing work that is not needed

If a consumer thinks that he or she has been a victim of an
auto repair scam, a report should be
made to the state attorney general's office, to the local consumer protection
agency, and also to the Better Business Bureau.
Gather up all paperwork, receipts, work
orders, written estimates and warranty information from the repair shop. The
more documentation the consumer has the better.

Most importantly, if a consumer
believes he or she was cheated by an unethical auto repair shop, the consumer
has the right to sue to recover what was paid, any other costs related to the
repair, attorney fees and more. An
experienced attorney can usually get results very quickly.